Art of manufacturing matrices



J. L. 'ROUSSEAU. ART OF MANUFACTURING MATRICES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG I 1 2 1,422,137, Patented July 11, 1922.

names STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. ROUSSEAU, BROOKLYN, NEVV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO M ERG-ENTHALEE LINOTYPE- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ART or MANUFACTURING MATRICES.

Application filed August-1, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr L. Roussnxn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Manufacturing Matrices, of which thelfollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to two-character matrices, such as are used in commercial linotype machines'for the casting of type bars or slugs. In the manufacture of these matrices, it is the practise to rout out a portion of theircoperative edges, or more specifically, to cuttransverse notches or recesses therein, and then to punch the matrix characters in the bottoms of said notches. Under this practise, and especially in the case of the larger characters or those having accents or descenders, the partition which separates the adjacent notches frequently stands belowthe operative edge of the matrix, this condition arising from the fact that the partition is dragged down below its proper position by the displacement of the metal during the punching operation. As a result, in casting,'the separating partition-fails to fit up tightly against the mold and hence permits the molten metal to escape from the notch of the active character into the notch .of the inactive character, thereby producing an imperfect slug and giving rise to other serious objections.

My presentinvention is directed to an improvement in the method of. manufacture by which the foregoing objections may be avoided. This improvement, specifically, involves first, the provision of a blank with a raised portion on its character edge occupying the zone intermediate the two character zones; next, the cutting out of the usual notches in the two character zones, which operation removes such parts of the raised portion as lie within said zones but which leaves that part of the raised portion lying within the intermediate zone on the partition separating the two notches; then, the punching of the matrix characters in the bottom walls of said notches in the customary way; and thereafter, the dressing down of the raised portion to bring the separating partition flush with the edge of the blank. In other words, the scheme is to punch the matrix characters in the edge of a blank Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1922.

Serial No. 488,866.

having a raised portion between adjacent characters, and thereafter to dress down said raisedp'ortion flush with the edge of the blank. As a result of this procedure, any drawing down of the separating partition during the punching operation will be fully compensated for. by the raised portion, which may thereafter be dressed down to the edge of the blank without difficulty. In this way, when the matrix is finally completed, the separating partition is caused to seat tightly up against the mold during the casting operation and thus to seal the molten metal against escape from the par.- ticular character-containing notch in registration with the mold slo lVhile my invention has been herein illustrated in connection with a matrix having only two characters, it should be understood that it is equally applicable to matrices havin a greater number of characters.

Ideferring to the drawings: I

Figs. 1 to 4: show on. an enlarged Scale a matrix in diiferent'stagesof manufacture; and g Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the matrix in its final form. 1 4 w;

The first step of my improvement con.- sists in providing a blank A, such as shown in Fig. l having on its character edge a raised portion B, which is designed .to. occupy the zone intermediate the twocharacte'r zones and irrespective of the size of the matrix characters. As is obvious, the character zones will be wider and the inter mediate zone narrower for larger characters or those having accents v0r descenders than for the smaller characters or those having no accents or descenders. Blanks having raised portions of different extents could be used for the different sizes of matrix characters, but it is preferred to employ a single form of blank as above indicated. The blank A may be produced in any suitable manner, as for instance in a die-press.

The second step consists in forming in the edge of the blank A (e. g. by a routing operation) notches C located within the two character zones see Fig. 2. This operation removes such parts of the raised portion B as lie within the character zones but leaves intact that part lying within the intermediate zone, so that, after the routing operation, the raised portion remains alone upon the partition. D which separates the notches v ment is that theseparating partition' hei tween 'two ad acent character-contaming 7 notches is'cause'd to emerge froui'fthe manu- C. These notches are of the customary. depth, although they may be of any desired" depth. i he third step consists in punching the matrix characters E in the bottom walls of the notches C, as illustrated in Fig. 3. the drawing,lthe partition D has been indicated as drawn down to a slight extent by the punching operation, but it will be observed that the raised portion B still stands above the edge of the'blank notwithstanding such displacement of the partition.

.17 The fourth 'and' last step of my improvement'consists in dressing down the raised portion B '(by milling or otherwise) so as to bring the separating partition D "flush with the*edge' of the blank, as shown in Fi :4. k inabe ex lained thatm improvement I) P .Y

deals only with'one phase of manufacture and that various other operations,in addi-' ti'on'to thosedescribech mustbe performed on the blank; to bring itto its final form as shown in Fig; 5. v These operationsare well knOwnto'those 'skilled in the art and re quire no mention;- M

As before stated, the'elfect'of my improvefacturing processwith its outer face flush with the operative edge of the matrix, thereby insuring the proper engagement of the partition I was the "mold during tliealslug casting operation. -VlThileI have set'forth the several steps which I propose to follow, these steps might be variously modified as to sequence orother- Wise'v'v'ithout departing from the 'spiritlof' my'in'ventionf I therefore'desire ittohe understood that I donot limit myself to any specific mode of procedure'except in so far'asi such limitations are specified in the claims. "Having thus described my invention, jivhat I claim is asfollows: r -1.f In the "art ofmanufacturing *plura'lcharacter matrices, providing a blank with a raised portion on'its characteredge o'ccupying the zone intermediatetwoadjacent In Q partition flush with the edge of the lhlank.

' 3. In the art of manufacturing-plurah character matrices providlng a blank with a raised-portion on its characterLedge of.

sufficientententto occupy the zone intermediate two'-'ad acent character zones rrespective of the varying-widths of said zones,

punching the matrix characters in their respective zones, and thereafter dressing down theraised portion to the edge of the-blank.

at." In the art of manufacturing plural character matrices, providi-ng a blank with a raised portion :on its character edge of suflicient extent to occupy the zone intermediate two adjacent character zone's'i'rre spective' of the varying widths of said zones, forming notches; in said character zones while leaving in the intermediate zone a separatingpartition 'whereon the raised portion remains, punching the matrix char acters" in the bottom wallslof said notches, and thereafter dressing down the raised portion to bring the separating partition flush with the edgeofthe blank. r In the art of manufacturing pluralcharacter matrices, punching "the matrix characters in the edge -of a 'hlankhaving' the portion intermediate two adjacent characters risingahove said edge, and thereafter dressing down the intermediate portion flush with said edge. In testimony whereof, I haveaffixed my signature'hereto.

lJosni ri L; Rousseau. 

